Slegers previews Arsenal WSL opener vs Crystal Palace

Arsenal Women head coach Renée Slegers has outlined her expectations ahead of the club's first home Barclays Women's Super League match of the season against Crystal Palace at Emirates Stadium.

Slegers said she anticipates Crystal Palace to sit defensively and look to hit on the counter, describing the newly promoted side as an unknown quantity. "I'm really curious how they're going to approach this match as a new arrival in the league," she said.

The Dutch coach reflected positively on Arsenal's season-opening win at Brighton, singling out debutant Lisa for particular praise. "She's an incredible talent, but she's also very humble and hardworking. It's the first game of the season. It's Brighton away. That's not an easy moment to step in and make your debut, but she did that so well," Slegers said.

Despite the winning start, Slegers identified consistency over 90 minutes as the key area for improvement. "We played a lot of really good football last weekend, but how can we bring that more consistently?" she added.

Slegers also highlighted the speed of integration among Arsenal's new signings, noting that seven of eight arrivals were present from the first day of pre-season. Late window signing Élisa was described as adapting quickly despite joining the group later.

The Emirates Stadium fixture marks Arsenal's first home league game of the 2026-27 WSL campaign.